Finding Winnie: The true story of the world's most famous bear by Lindsay Mattick
Ill. by Sophie Blackall. Little Brown, 2015. ISBN 9780316324908
Cole asks his mother for a bedtime story - a true one about a bear.
And it just so happens that his mother, Lindsay Mattick, is the
great-great-granddaughter of Harry Colebourn, a Canadian vet who, in
1914, was conscripted to join the war effort to look after the
soldiers' horses. On his way to the training ground far from his
native Winnipeg, the train pulls into a station and Harry spies a
baby bear on a rope held by a trapper who is unlikely to raise him
and love him as Harry did all animals. After a lot of thought,
twenty dollars changes hands and Harry finds himself back on the
train with the bear cub and a lot of curious mates and one
astonished colonel. But the bear whom Harry has named Winnie after
his home town, wins over the troops and she soon establishes herself
as the regiment's mascot. Winnie travels with the soldiers to
England, but when it is time for them to embark for France, Harry
knows Winnie cannot go with them. So he leaves Winnie at The London
Zoo where she is loved by hundreds of children including a certain
little boy named Christopher Robin Milne - and from there a whole
other story begins.
2016 winner of the Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most
distinguished American picture book for children, this is a charming
story that has that intimacy of a story shared between mother and
child. Beautifully illustrated by Sophie Blackall with meticulously
researched details in muted watercolour and ink colours which
reflect the mood and emotions, it also contains photos of Harry with
Winnie and other memorabilia that demonstrate the authenticity of
the tale. The conversations between the narrator and her son which
are interspersed throughout the story not only add to its reality
but also make it more than just a non-fiction recount. With its
undertones of A. A. Milne's writing, and the final pages that trace
the lineage of Harry Colebourn to Cole, this is a very personal
account that is as engaging as it is interesting.
Because she is telling the story to her own young son, there are
several occasions where she chooses her words very carefully so he
will not be upset and this then makes it suitable as a read-aloud
for even the youngest of listeners. As the centenary of World War 1
continues, there are many stories commemorating the contribution
that a whole range of creatures made to the conflict, but this one
with its direct ties to the beloved character of Winnie-the-Pooh
which all children know, is one that will linger in the mind for a
long time.
A first-class addition to your collection commemorating World War 1,
and, if you are lucky, you might also be able to pair it with the
movie A bear named
Winnie with Stephen Fry and Michael Fassender.
Barbara Braxton